Currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students who have been accepted to present can apply for Student Travel Grants of up to $1000 to help defray costs associated with attending professional conferences, exhibits and performances for the purpose of presenting research results and other scholarly or creative activities. Funds are not available to simply attend without presenting.

Students may request no more than two STGs over the course of a student's academic career, which would reset in situations where an undergraduate student becomes a graduate student.

Where multiple students are associated with a single presentation (co-authors), funds will be awarded only to the student(s) actually presenting:

If there are co-presenters (two students giving the actual presentation), each of the two students will be awarded a maximum of $500 ($1000 total).

Creative activities such as group performances (where multiple students perform as a unit and each student has a unique and critical role to play) will be funded using this formula: a 10% decrease per additional student up to 12 students.

Groups of 13 or more students will be funded at 25%, up to a maximum of $5000 for the group.

Any funds received ﻿must﻿ be used within six months ﻿ of the award date.

Application Process

If planning to submit an STG application for the SPRING SEMESTER, have your application submitted by either November 29th, 2017 or February 20th, 2018. No STG applications will be accepted after those deadlines. If possible, evidence that the student has been accepted to present should be supplied along with the application.

The student must complete and submit the application (not the faculty mentor).

The primary presenter must provide a document verifying that you have been accepted to present at the event. This evidence must include the student's name, name of event, and confirmation that the student is presenting. Final approval for funding will only be granted upon receipt of this evidence.

Submit both signed forms together, as a packet, to Linda Sanders in person at the Dick Smith Library Room 143 or by campus mail at Box T-0460.

If faculty mentors will be traveling with the student, expenses should be kept separate (i.e. receipts). Faculty mentors can obtain Travel Cards for use in charging travel expenses to reduce students' out-of-pocket expenses.

Reimbursements

Refunds will be made in the form of a check issued to the student. Travel and reimbursement must be completed while the student is still enrolled as a student.

Reimbursements will only be made for any expenses documented by original receipts:

Use of personal vehicle: reimbursement will be made for fuel expenses only Receipts will be require for reimbursement up to $200 for fuel expense. In general, the state's four-to-one rule will be used when more than one student is traveling to the same destination. The four-to-one rule refers to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts' four-per-car rule that states that when there are four or fewer travelers on the same trip, only one may be reimbursed for mileage.

Airfare: zero-balance receipts will be require for reimbursement.

Meals: students will be reimbursed for no more than 3 meals per day according to GSA.gov.

Itemized receipts will be require for all meals (i.e. the receipt must list the specific food items ordered).

Alcohol: Receipts should not contain alcohol purchases. Alcohol will not be reimbursed.

Conference Meals: Any meals included with conference registration will be deducted from the 3 meal total for that day.

Conference: conference receipts must be itemized to show any other expenses that may have been paid in addition to the registration fee (e.g. meals and housing).

Hotel: rates that are within a reasonable variance of the state rate are acceptable.

Check-out: You must acquire an invoice from the front desk when you check out. Conference and hotel receipts must indicate 'zero balance' demonstrating that the balance has been paid in full. Non-zero balance receipts can not be accepted.

Upon return, original receipts must be delivered to the person overseeing the student's travel reimbursement. If eTravel/Concur is being used, this may be the departmental administrative assistant.